Inside South Africa’s hijacked-building crisis: Crime, desperation and a state struggling to reclaim its own

Hijacked and illegally occupied buildings across South Africa highlight a housing and crime crisis. The 2023 Usindiso Building fire in Johannesburg, which claimed 76 lives, exposed the dangers of these conditions. The Operation Bring Back program identified 1,285 properties for recovery, but only 20 have been returned. Authorities warn that these buildings are vulnerable to organized crime.